1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to protective covers for seating, and more particularly to a temporary use cover adapted for quick and easy installation and removal from a vehicle seat. The present cover includes a soft, absorbent cloth outer surface, i. e., the surface away from the upholstery, with at least a portion of the opposite upholstery contact surface having a soft plastic or rubberized backing material with a high coefficient of friction to grip the underlying upholstery material. A series of straps is used to secure the device to the underlying seat.
2. Description of Related Art
Over the years, automobiles have become increasingly more luxurious, even in the case of base and economy models. Where once leather was used for upholstery in only very costly or exotic cars, it is now possible to find relatively economical automobiles, and even light trucks and vans, with such costly upholstery materials.
Regardless of the economic level of the vehicle in which such upholstery materials are used, they are nonetheless still relatively costly, and in fact even lesser vinyl and cloth materials tend to be of higher grades (and thus more expensive) for increased durability and longevity, than was provided in the past. As a result, people are more concerned with taking care of the materials in such vehicles, especially when considering that owners tend to keep their vehicles longer than in the past. When considering that it could cost well over a thousand dollars to have the seats reupholstered using a costly material, the concern of automobile owners is understandable.
Another factor that many vehicle owners are well aware of, particularly in warmer and/or sunny climates, is that vinyl and leather upholstery surfaces become quite hot when exposed to the sun. This is especially true of darker colors and even more so of black upholstery. However, most vehicle upholstery tends to be in darker colors, so this is a problem with the majority of vehicles on the road. Occupant(s) entering a vehicle which has been parked in the sun on a warm day, have been known to receive burns to exposed flesh from the overheated upholstery under such conditions.
As a result, many people install aftermarket covers to protect the upholstery and/or to provide some degree of comfort in hot weather. However, most such aftermarket upholstery kits are cumbersome to install and are not easily removed, which results in their being left in place for an extended period on the vehicle seats to conceal the beauty of the underlying original upholstery.
Accordingly, a need will be seen for a temporary use seat cover adapted for ease of placement upon and removal from a single vehicle seating surface. The present temporary cover provides protection to the underlying upholstery from water, sand, grease from soiled clothing, etc., which may be deposited upon a seating surface from a person who has been swimming, working on the car, or engaged in other informal activities. Moreover, the present temporary cover also protects the occupant from possible burns from overheated upholstery materials, by providing a soft fabric (e. g., terrycloth) layer between the occupant and the underlying upholstery. This is particularly critical for persons wearing shorts, swimsuits, or other attire wherein the thighs or other exposed skin areas may come in contact with the upholstery.
A discussion of the related art of which the present inventor is aware, and its differences and distinctions from the present invention, is provided below.
U.S. Pat. No. 974,865 issued on Nov. 8, 1910 to Charles L. Dreher, titled xe2x80x9cSanitary Seat Cover,xe2x80x9d describes a temporary use cover formed of a sheet of paper. Such material obviously does not possess the absorbency and moisture repellency of the present cover, with its fabric upper or outer surface and optional plasticized or rubberized back coating. Moreover, the Dreher cover does not have any form of high friction grip to preclude slippage. The Dreher cover cannot be secured about a headrest, as it includes only a clip for securing over the upper edge of a seatback. Moreover, the Dreher cover is not washable, as is the present cover.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,213,511 issued on Jan. 23, 1917 to Henri C. Linthicum, titled xe2x80x9cSeat Cover,xe2x80x9d describes a temporary use cover similar to the Dreher cover discussed immediately above. The Linthicum cover is draped over the seatback to extend down both the front and back surfaces thereof. An elongate tie extends from the end of the cover disposed at the lower back of the seatback, and is wrapped around the opposite side of the seatback and cover to secure the cover to the seat. The Linthicum cover is wasteful of material in that it must include sufficient material to extend down the back of the seat as well as the front, since the attachment ties extend from the corners of the cover positioned at the lower rear of the seatback. Moreover, the Linthicum cover cannot attach to a headrest, but rather drapes over the straight upper edge of the seatback. No absorbency or moisture repellency is disclosed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,383,712 issued on May 17, 1983 to Jose Kaganas, titled xe2x80x9cComposite Seat Cover,xe2x80x9d describes a sheepskin cover having a foam intermediate layer with a backing sheet. The result: is not washable, as is the present temporary cover. Moreover, Kaganas shows only a single strap attachment for his cover, with a single strap end extending centrally respectively from the bottom and top ends of the seat back portion of his cover. Such an attachment arrangement cannot possibly be used with seats having headrests, as the single central strap cannot be secured about the headrest and would tend to slip to one side of the higher central headrest. Moreover, the Kaganas cover requires a gap between the seat bottom and seatback for passing the lower strap therethrough.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,646,376 issued on Jun. 30, 1987 to Paul C. Keiswetter, titled xe2x80x9cTemporary Protective Seat Cover,xe2x80x9d describes a cover formed of a co-extruded plastic film having different properties on opposite sides thereof. The back surface provides a relatively high coefficient of friction to cling to the underlying upholstery material, while the front surface has a relatively low coefficient of friction to preclude adhering to the user. This material provides no moisture absorbency for absorbing perspiration or other liquid, as provided by the present cover. Moreover, the Keiswetter cover has a relatively wide top with a pocket for installing over the upper edge of the seatback, and is not adapted for securing to a narrow headrest which extends upwardly from the upper part of the seatback. No strap attachments are provided for the Keiswetter cover, as provided by the present temporary cover.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,441,789 issued on Aug. 15, 1995 to Gary A. Walker, titled xe2x80x9cAttachable Type Beach Towel For Universal Use,xe2x80x9d describes a rectangular towel having two opposed straps extending from each end thereof. The straps are intended to wrap around some structure parallel to the edge of the towel and secure back to mating attachment points on the towel, which precludes attachment generally horizontally around the back of a vehicle seat headrest. However, Walker also provides supplemental attachment pads which must be secured to the structure to which his towel is to be attached. This precludes temporary installation, as the seat structure must be modified. In any event, Walker does not provide any moisture repellency or high friction grip for his towel.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,709,431 issued on Jan. 20, 1998 to Stephanie Horn, titled xe2x80x9cSeat Cover For Protecting A Motor Vehicle Seat,xe2x80x9d describes a plastic cover closely resembling the cover of the Keiswetter ""376 U.S. Patent discussed further above. The Horn cover utilizes the same double laminate sheet material as used by Keiswetter, but includes additional sheets peripherally secured to the opposite ends of the laminate sheet. These additional sheets, with the ends of the laminate sheet, define pockets which are installed over the upper edge of the seatback (and headrest) and around the forward edge of the seat bottom. As in the Keiswetter cover, the Horn cover does not provide any form of moisture absorbency, which feature is provided by the present seat cover.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,806,925 issued on Sep. 15, 1998 to Mark G. Hanley, titled xe2x80x9cBreathable Protective Seat Cover,xe2x80x9d describes a temporary use cover having an absorbent upper or outer layer and a vapor permeable lower layer, which is capable of blocking the flow of liquid moisture. However, the Hanley cover utilizes two fabric layers and an underlying moisture repellent layer, rather than only a single fabric layer, as in the present towel. Hanley also provides a pocket at the top of his cover for installation over the upper end of the seat. The drawings, particularly FIG. 1, clearly show that this pocket is narrower than the remainder of the cover, and hence it may not fit over many relatively wide headrests. The strap attachment of the present cover is much more versatile, and provides for attachment to a wide variety of different seat back and headrest configurations.
Finally, French Patent Publication No. 1,464,782, published on Nov. 28, 1966, illustrates a seat cover apparently having a fabric outer material, with some form of plastic material provided on the upholstery contact side. However, this cover does not have any form of attachment means (straps, etc.). The ""782 cover must rely upon the relatively high friction between the plastic material and the underlying seat for all of its attachment, whereas the cover of the present invention provides at least a pair of cooperating attachment straps to secure the cover about the headrest of a vehicle seat. The ""782 cover relies upon the weight of an extension draped over the upper edge of the seat back to retain the cover on the seat back. As such, it more closely resembles the cover of the Linthicum ""511 U.S. Patent discussed further above, than the present temporary use seat cover invention.
Finally, in addition to the specific patents and publications discussed above, applicant is aware of numerous other covers farther removed from his invention than those discussed above. These other covers are generally formed in two separate portions to cover the seat bottom and seat back separately, and are also generally intended for semipermanent or permanent installation and in many cases require some modification of the seat structure. They do not closely resemble the flat, single sheet configuration of the present temporary use seat cover.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.
The present invention is a temporarily installable and removable seat cover, primarily intended for use in automobiles and other motor vehicles. The present cover is particularly valuable in providing temporary protection from the elements for expensive vehicle upholsteries, and also for eliminating the hazard of burns to bare flesh for an occupant who enters a car which has been sitting in the sun on a hot day. The present temporary use seat cover is formed of materials which are completely washable in order to provide ease of cleaning when the cover is soiled or encounters a spill, etc.
The present seat cover has a rectangular configuration, resembling a towel, and includes a towel-like, moisture absorbent material on its front or upper surface, i. e., the exposed surface when the cover is placed upon a seat. The opposite surface, i. e., the upholstery contact surface, may include at least some areas having a plasticized or rubberized backing thereon (e. g., low density polyethylene, silicone rubber, etc.), providing a high coefficient of friction for gripping the underlying upholstery material and precluding sliding or movement of the cover. This coating may be disposed (e. g., laminated, sprayed, etc.) across the entire undersurface, or may be provided only partially or not at all, as desired. The coating may include a microporosity, in order to pass vapor but preclude passage of liquid moisture therethrough.
The cover also includes at least a pair of straps extending from the upper edge thereof, i. e., the edge adjacent the upper edge of the seatback when the cover is installed. These straps are preferably elastic and include mating attachment means (side latch buckles, snaps, etc.) for securing about the back of the seat headrest. Additional straps may be provided across the upper and lower portions of the back of the cover for extending across the back of the seatback and under the forward edge of the seat bottom, for additional security for the present cover. The straps extending from the upper end of the cover also provide for securing the cover in a rolled, compact condition for storage when desired. The cover may be folded lengthwise to place the two upper end straps opposite one another, and rolled from the bottom toward the top. The two straps are then crossed or twisted, passed around the rolled cover, and secured together to secure the cover for storage.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a temporary use seat cover for vehicle and other seats, which cover is quickly and easily applied and removed as desired.
It is another object of the invention to provide such a temporary use seat cover having an occupant contact surface of a moisture absorbent fabric layer and an opposite upholstery contact surface having at least some areas providing a high coefficient of friction to preclude slippage of the cover when in use.
It is a further object of the invention to provide such a cover in which the entire upholstery contact surface is coated with
Still another object of the invention is to provide at least one pair of headrest attachment straps for the present cover, for removably securing about the back of a vehicle seat headrest.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide additional laterally disposed straps extending across the upper and lower portions of the back of the cover, for securing about the seat back and forward portion of the seat bottom of a vehicle seat.
It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof in an apparatus for the purposes described which is inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes.
These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.